Origin

ARTICLES ABOUT ORIGIN BY DATE - PAGE 3

WASHINGTON: Indian-American researcher Debashis Chanda from University of Central Florida (UCF) has developed a nature-inspired technique for creating the world's first full-colour, flexible thin-film reflective display. Simply put, if someone at a wedding reception is wearing the same dress as you, the technology can help you switch yours to a different colour in the blink of an eye. "All manmade displays like LCD and LED are rigid, brittle and bulky. But you look at an octopus.

LONDON: One of Britain's longest serving Indian-origin MPs, Keith Vaz , has been appointed as vice-chairman of the Labour party. Vaz, 58, who was re-elected from his Leicester East stronghold at the May 7 general election, also serves as the chair of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons . "I am delighted to have been appointed as vice-chairman of the Labour Party. After coming through a difficult election, it is time for the party to regroup and bring fresh new ideas to the table.

SINGAPORE: Singapore has appointed an Indian- origin businessman as its non-Resident High Commissioner to Sri Lanka , the Foreign Ministry announced today. S Chandra Das served as Singapore's Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey , resident in Singapore, from 2006 to 2015. He had also previously served as Singapore's Trade Representative from 1970 to 1972 in the USSR, the former Soviet Union. Das was a Member of Parliament from 1980 to 1996 and is currently the Managing Director of NUR Investment & Trading private limited of Singapore as well as a director of a number of other companies.

LONDON: An Indian-origin teacher has been honoured by Oxford University for helping one of her students get into the world-famous varsity. Gurnimrat 'Nimmy' Sidhu, head of science at Oaks Park High School in north-east London, is among 12 teachers to win the 'University of Oxford Inspirational Teacher Award' set up to encourage more state-funded schools to connect with the university. Sidhu feared a marking error and forced her student Esther Odejimi to get her exams remarked enabling her to gain admission Pembroke College, Oxford, to study theology.

LONDON: The family of an Indian-origin British hotelier feared kidnapped while on a business trip to Punjab has offered a reward of 25,000 pounds to trace his whereabouts. 54-year-old Ranjit Singh Power's family in Britain fear he may have been kidnapped after he uncharacteristically failed to stay in contact with them and did not catch his return flight from Amritsar on May 14. Initially offering 10,000 pounds for information leading to his return, Power's daughter Emma said the family has now raised that to 25,000 pounds.

NEW DELHI: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing Black Money is considering dropping penalty and prosecution proceedings against beneficiaries of accounts at HSBC Bank who did not operate the accounts and may not even have been aware of their existence. In these cases the original account holders are dead and the beneficiaries are facing penalty and prosecution notices. The SIT, headed by retired Supreme Court judge MB Shah, may allow IT authorities to compound the offence, that is allow the beneficiaries to pay a fine in order to close the case, according to three people familiar with the issue.

WASHINGTON: A team of Columbia Engineering researchers led by an Indian-American scientist Latha Venkataraman has created a single-molecule electronic device which has a potential of real-world technological applications for nanoscale devices. Under the direction of Venkataraman, researchers created a single-molecule diode which performs 50 times better than all prior designs. Constructing a device where the active element is only a single molecule, has long been a tantalising dream in nanoscience.

LONDON: Indian-origin voters in the UK played a decisive role in Prime Minister David Cameron-led Conservatives winning the elections, with one million ethnic minority votes going in his favour, a post-poll survey said. The Conservatives won a majority as a result of one million ethnic minority votes, new research by British Future think tank has found. Nearly 6,15,000 Indian-origin voters were expected to vote in the May 7 elections this year with many expected to switch loyalties from Opposition Labour to the Conservative party . While the survey does not break down the ethnic minority vote in the UK by countries of origin, its overall results confirm a significant swing in favour of the ruling Tories.

LONDON: A 29-year-old British man, who had his head ripped from his spine in a horrific car crash, has miraculously survived after a rare operation done by an Indian-origin doctor. Tony Cowan from Newcastle city met with an accident on September 9 last year, when his car hit a speedbump, spun out of control and wrapped around a telephone pole. Cowan's heart stopped and he had to be resuscitated by paramedics at the scene before being rushed to hospital under police escort.

LONDON: A leading Indian-origin entrepreneur has been elected as the head of the Bureau of International Recycling, a global organisation that facilitates free and fair trade of recyclables in a sustainable and competitive world economy. Ranjit Singh Baxi , chairman of J & H Sales (International) ltd, will serve a two-year term as president of the Brussels-based recycling association. The election was held at the association's World Convention & Exhibition in Dubai last Tuesday.